High in the sky, a Seven Kill Sword—thirty meters long and five meters wide—charged forward through the air. Eight figures stood firmly upon its blade.
They were Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, Dugu Bo, Zuo Yi, Mi He, Long Wu, Dugu Yan, and Gu Xuan.
Chen Xin's soul power had now reached the peak of Rank 97. A single Seven Kill Sword, combined with Ning Fengzhi's support, was enough to rival a Rank 98 Super Douluo. With him present, the task of hunting soul rings was not a major concern.
Furthermore, with Dugu Bo acting as a secondary support Titled Douluo, the group felt relatively relaxed. However, excitement was inevitable, especially for Zuo Yi and the other two. They only needed one more soul ring to become Titled Douluo-level powerhouses and join the ranks of the world's elite; it would be a lie to say they weren't thrilled.
Ning Fengzhi was equally excited internally. After all, he was the first Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Soul Master to break through Rank 80 since the first ancestor. However, as the Sect Master, he maintained a much calmer exterior.
Although Ning Rongrong's pagoda had evolved into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, she was only Rank 36. While her future was promising, she could not currently be compared to Ning Fengzhi.
Chen Xin's speed was fast; within half a day, they reached the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest. Without needing any rest, the group entered the forest immediately. Once inside, they switched to traveling on foot. This was partly because the forest was teeming with soul beasts and there was no need to provoke unnecessary trouble, and partly because they had left the sect in secret. They needed to avoid exposing their tracks; now was not the time for public displays of power.
Before arriving, they had already formulated a plan: what kind of soul beasts each person required and which regions those beasts were likely to inhabit. Their goals were crystal clear.
Mi He's choice for a ninth soul ring had a definitive target: a Sword-Winged Demon Dragon of over 90,000 years. When Chen Xin was hunting for his own ninth soul ring years ago, he had considered this beast, but he ultimately found a better option, so this creature was still alive. Because powerful soul beasts are territorial and rarely move, the group headed directly for its domain.
Since the target was deep within the forest and they were traveling on foot, it took them three days to reach the territory, despite their high movement speed. Upon entering the area, the powerful soul beast seemed to sense its enemies and woke from its slumber.
When Chen Xin, Ning Fengzhi, and Mi He stood before the dragon, the Sword-Winged Demon Dragon stared at Chen Xin with great wariness. It sensed a lethal threat of death emanating from his body. Dugu Bo and the others stayed at a distance to protect Dugu Yan and Gu Xuan.
Gu Xuan watched silently as Chen Xin prepared to show off his power. Chen Xin glanced indifferently at the dragon and spoke calmly to Mi He. "Watch closely. My sword intent has seen another breakthrough recently. I hope you can comprehend your own path of the sword from this."
Mi He nodded solemnly. "Yes, Teacher."
"Roar!" Seeing the intense sword intent and soul power fluctuations rising from Chen Xin, the dragon let out a terrifying, angry howl. Locked onto by Chen Xin's aura, the dragon knew it could not escape; its only chance for survival was a desperate struggle.
Facing the roar, Chen Xin's eyes remained cold. His lips parted slightly. "Seven Kill Sword!"
With his voice, an ancient longsword appeared out of thin air in his hand. Having reached Rank 97 and evolved his Martial Soul, the power of the Seven Kill Sword had reached a frightening level. The sword was four feet three inches long, three inches wide, with a hilt of one foot two inches. It was entirely translucent blue, looking as if it were carved from crystal.
The moment it appeared, Gu Xuan and the others—even a thousand meters away—felt a terrifying sword intent. Their skin felt as if it were being faintly cut, simply from gazing at Chen Xin. If they felt this way just by looking, one could imagine the pressure the dragon was facing directly.
"Roar! Roar!"
The dragon's body exceeded ten meters in length. Four pairs of sword-like wings unfurled from its back, and its tail was also a sharp blade. As its aura fully exploded, it unleashed its own terrifying sword intent to clash with Chen Xin's. However, it was only a 90,000-year soul beast; compared to the current Chen Xin, the gap was vast. Its sword intent could not compete.
Holding his sword, Chen Xin drifted into the sky, looking down at the dragon like an immortal. White flames seemed to ignite around his body, and countless spectral images of the Seven Kill Sword formed from sword intent began to rotate around him.
"Mi He, watch clearly," Chen Xin's voice rang out.
He tossed the sword lightly into the air. Nine soul rings—two yellow, two purple, and five black—rose around him. The sixth black soul ring lit up, and a dark soul power radiance erupted.
"Sixth Soul Skill: Myriad Sword Return to One!"
As the skill was released, the sky behind Chen Xin was filled with countless Seven Kill Swords, turning the entire firmament translucent blue. With his command, the infinite blades poured down toward the dragon like a torrential storm of steel!
The Sword-Winged Demon Dragon roared in fury. The eight sword-like wings on its back actually detached from its body and merged into a single, massive blade radiating terrifying power. This blade flew toward Chen Xin, expanding in the air until it transformed into a ten-meter-long sword-dragon.
Chen Xin's gaze narrowed slightly. The strength of this dragon was indeed formidable; at over 90,000 years, it was already comparable to a 100,000-year soul beast. Such offensive power was impressive. Unfortunately, the current Chen Xin was no longer the man he once was. With his soul power at the peak of Rank 97 and his transcendent sword intent, his attack was overwhelming. Even the dragon's concentrated strike could not break through the "Myriad Sword Return to One."
Looking at the desperately resisting dragon, Chen Xin showed no mercy. He said slowly. "Let the rain fall harder!"
With a wave of his right hand, the sword intent surged. The number of blades multiplied again, darkening the sky. The endless Seven Kill Swords instantly swallowed the dragon's counterattack and descended upon it.
The dragon unleashed all its soul power to defend. The shattered "sword-dragon" split back into eight flying blades, forming a strange, rotating shield in front of it.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Blade after blade crashed down. The dragon pushed the shield above its head with both claws, pouring its soul power into the eight blades. In that instant, they erupted with a brilliant silver light, actually managing to withstand Chen Xin's assault.
The Sword-Winged Demon Dragon possessed two supreme innate soul skills: the "Flying Dragon Piercing Heaven," which it used to clash with Chen Xin, and the "Eight Directions Hexagram Sword Array" it was using now for defense. It had used its strongest abilities right from the start, proving the immense pressure Chen Xin placed upon it.
However, the dragon's second innate skill wouldn't last long. Chen Xin's attack was fueled by his terrifying sword intent and the deep foundation of his Rank 97 peak soul power.
(End of Chapter)
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